Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-06-25
ANOTHER ASSAULT UPON THE STATE
SCHOOL BOOKS.

The San Francisco Chronicle, with char
acteristic recklessness, has made the rob
berry of the school textbook fund the
KEYNOTE for another assault along the
whole line, upon the scheme of the State
publishing her own school books. We have
not space or disposition in this department
to expose the fallacy of the Chronicles
plausible showings marshaled as they are
in delusive tabular form. That can be best
done later on by statistical exemplifcation
of the Chronicles exhibits.
In brief it may be here stated, however,
that that journal charges the entire cost of
the system against the books already
issued, when the commonest financial and
accountant ability will perceive, without
any figures being given, that the cost of
product involving a plant and certain
primary work, not to be repeated until af-
ter the lapse Of many years must be dis
tributed over the whole period between
production and the necessity to begin anew
in part If one engages in a business en-
terprise requiring a given capitalization
and investment in primary work, which
once done will need not to be repeated, he
will not be so wildly absurd as to charge
the whole cost against the first product his
enterprise evolves, and upon that result
determine the feasibility of continuance.
The truth is, the Chronicle simply and
fatty falsifes when it declares that the
State textbooks are costing more than
similar books can be bought for in the
market. On the contrary-with all the
Encouragement and malfeasance in the
State Printing 0fiice-the people are saw
ing from so to rs per cent. in supplying
their children with school books under the
new system.
This is fact, against which all the mis-
leading figures of the Chronicle cannot pre-
vail. Moreover, there is mighty factor
of gain which the assailant of the system
wholly ignores-that under the reform the
State is freed from the corrupting ring of
book agents, who went about the State
buying up local Boards, muddying the
waters of local politics, meddling with
political parties in the State, purchasing
the voice and influence of great newspa-
pers, establishing lobby in the Legisla-
ture, and prejudicing whoever could be in
iuenced by specious argument against the
State school system, and buying for coin
those who could not be approached except
there was venality in view.
If the disgruntled book men, who have
been shut off from the further plucking of
the people, have employed newspapers
in their interest; or if they had employed
an agency for coin TO assail the State text
book system, they could not have been
better served than by the article in our
San Francisco contemporary, which it has
entitled, "The System Failure"
We have not, however, any concern as to
the final effect of these assaults The
practical demonstration of the scheme will
have been made before it will be possible
for its enemies to seriously njure it. 1t is
not, therefore, profitable use of time to do
battle with them, except by such EXPOSE
ton Of the facts from time to time as will
prevent the formation of erroneous iudg-
ments on the part of the people.